Welcome 20/20 Viewers

Hello Everyone!

I’m taking a day off from working on the book to catch everyone up on a couple of items, especially since there might be new readers after the TV show 20/20 airs an interview with me for a two hour special about the terrible murders of Sam Herr and Julie Kibuishi (airing Friday, May 31 at 9:00PM local time on ABC).

For those who are new to the blog: Welcome! Thank you for checking it out. I hope you’ll read all the posts from the beginning.

I Know What He Is

As the title of the blog says, I am friends with Daniel Wozniak, who is currently on death row in San Quentin prison after being found guilty of killing both Sam and Julie.

I need to be very clear: I believe Daniel Wozniak is a murderer.  He’s honest about that with me. He’s not some wrongly convicted innocent person serving time for a crime he didn’t commit.

When I began this blog in 2015, Dan still hadn’t been to trial. Even though I was always pretty sure he was probably guilty of his crimes, I firmly believe a person is innocent until proven guilty, so before Dan’s conviction, everything I wrote about him used the word “alleged” when referring to his crimes. There were plenty of readers who didn’t like that, and didn’t like me because I was willing to “call that monster my friend.”

The murders of Sam Herr and Julie Kibuishi were monstrous.

About Sam Herr

Sam Herr was a decorated Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. Sam was stationed at Outpost Keating; which I learned about after reading Jake Tapper’s The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor (recommended to me by Sam’s dad, Steve Herr, during Daniel’s trial).

Sam Herr, his parents’ only child, returned safely from fighting in a war, went to college to better his future, and was then shot and killed by a community theatre actor.

As an extra gut-punch, Steve and Raquel Herr had to learn their son’s body had been dismembered.

His head had been removed. His hand and arm had been sawed or chopped off.  Sam’s body parts were stashed at a public nature center and eaten by animals.

And Sam’s parents learned about it all on what should have been Sam’s twenty -seventh birthday.

About Julie Kibuishi

Julie Kibuishi was a friend of Sam’s from college. The two met in an Anthropology class at Orange Coast College, and Julie offered to tutor Sam, who initially was having some difficulties with his grades. He ended up getting an A, and the two continued a close friendship.

By all accounts, this lovely, talented, and intelligent young woman would come to the aid of her friends at the drop of a hat. Julie is always described as kind, sweet, generous, funny, and talented (she graduated from Orange County School of the Arts, a prestigious arts high school).

She was only twenty-three years old; one of four children in a very tight knit family.

When she was shot twice in the head, she was wearing a costume tiara given to her hours before, when she was asked to be a bridesmaid in her brother’s upcoming wedding.

Why I Used A Pseudonym

There are people who can’t wrap their heads around how, or why, I’m able to be friends with the man who confessed to murdering these two people. I understand the confusion, shock, and sometimes outrage some readers have expressed in this blog’s comment section and on the Facebook page.

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know I have used a pseudonym (Murderer Musings) from the beginning. I used pseudonyms for all the people involved, since I wanted to write about Daniel Wozniak without influencing his trial in any way.

When I found out this was not a concern for him, I started using everyone’s real names.

Everyone except me.

The story of Sam and Julie’s murders was already all over the media, but my name wasn’t and I felt the need to keep it that way. Early on, some commenters threatened me, and my children.

But truth be told, anyone could — and some people did — figure out my identity through unintentional but unavoidable “clues” in the blog.

After a while, and hopefully after reading my posts, most people got used to the idea of Dan Wozniak having a friend and that friend writing about him.

Seeking To Understand

Readers discovered that I’m not defending Dan’s actions. I’m just trying to understand how he sunk so low at one point in his life, and write about what kind of person he is today. I don’t want to judge a person by the worst thing he ever did.

I started the blog as a jumping off point to writing a true crime book about the murders of Sam and Julie. It’s my first time writing a true crime book (or any book for that matter) and I felt like I could use a little experience before tackling the Big Kahuna.

After some time, I felt secure enough that I decided to use my real name when the book comes out. Of course, with the 20/20 interview, the cat’s out of the bag a little early.

How It Began

Like many of you who are reading this, I’m extremely fascinated with true crime. I’ve been a huge fan of the genre for a very long time. In 2010, when I learned that an actor from my theatre company had just confessed to murdering two of his friends for money to go on a honeymoon… hell yes, I wanted to know more.

I wrote a letter to Dan at the Orange County Jail and… well you can read the blog to follow the story as it unfolded.

The Official Story Isn’t Necessarily the True Story

From early on, I had doubts that the public had been given the complete and honest story of Sam and Julie’s murders.

When I read about the case and saw interviews with law enforcement, my true-crime Spidey senses told me that, in spite of his confession, Dan Wozniak did not commit these two murders alone.

I’ve been learning the “true” story from Daniel himself these past couple of years, especially once Dan Wozniak was transferred to San Quentin, where our visits are not recorded.

It’s a bizarre story of an engaged couple whose jealousy and game playing led to the murders of two much-beloved people who did nothing to provoke their own deaths.

It’s not a nice story.

But in many ways, to me it makes much more sense than the one that came out in Daniel’s trial.  My plan is to have my book finished in about a year and a half, so I can share that story with all of you.

Thank You For Being Here

Thank you for checking out my blog. I’m writing this before the 20/20 episode airs, so hopefully I come across as the semi-normal person I am.

So, again: welcome new readers!

And to my old readers: Hey guys! I’m on 20/20. And I’m finally dropping that pseudonym!

Hi! I’m Glendele.

25 thoughts on “Welcome 20/20 Viewers”

  1. Always happy to see a new post here! Hopefully the 20/20 interview will stream somewhere (hulu, YouTube, etc.) so us cord cutters can watch it. Also, I’m curious, do you have any idea if the book will be available digitally (e-book)? I do most of my reading on a kindle these days, though I would definitely be willing to read a paper book to hear this story.

  2. Hey there blue hair (Glendel)
    Looking forward to watching the special. See ya then.
    Long time reader,
    Rachel

  3. I guess we will never know exactly what happened . We can believe what Dan says – why would he lie at this point? But as we all know perception is always part of the story and if he was a partier then his memory would be cloudy at best.

    1. Well, it’s stated pretty clearly that he’s a pathological liar. I doubt he has an honest bone in his body and is still not truthful about every detail of what happened here.

  4. There is nothing wrong with you being a friend to D.W. What happened is that his psychopathy was always there lying dormant. While you are his friend, you were never his friend. Maybe think about your definition of what a friend is.

  5. You certainly did come off normal, since you asked.
    And you looked great too.
    I’ve been here since the beginning of your blog but for some reason I dropped out of the group of readers awhile ago.
    I’ll be catching up hopefully this weekend.
    Thanks again for sharing your experience with us all and I can’t wait for the book.
    Have a great weekend.

  6. This case also intrigues me, as I’m sure it does with most people that are commenting on this blog. I have a question that I’m hoping someone can answer. Did Daniel Wozniak think he was going to be able to obtain $62,000 from an ATM? I would assume most people of 26, his age at the time, know that there is a limit to how much money you can take out of an ATM. I live in NJ and it’s $300 a day here. This leads me to believe money wasn’t his true motive or that perhaps he isn’t that intelligent or that this crime wasn’t very well thought out. Does anyone else have any opinions on this? I’m looking for a good discussion, no arguments or negativity. As do others on this blog, I question the authors intention and her fan girl behavior towards Dan Wozniak, however, I don’t really think it’s my position to judge.

    1. i am sure it wasn’t for the money as well, like you stated it would take months to withdrawal 62k from an ATM. i am assume Daniel was jealous and of Sam, Financially or waverer stage he was. Such a long case, so much tax dollar lost, for nothing.

    2. It was a time game for him. He was getting married and wanted to boost his own account. He was going to take what he could get in cash for the time being and probably thought he’d be off and away on his honeymoon, then later come back and get the rest. I don’t believe he thought it through that much — he probably believed Sam’s absence wouldn’t be noticed for at least a week and by that time, he’d be getting married and off on a honeymoon. If one didn’t use the ATM that frequently, I don’t think (at the time) it was widely known you can’t get more than say…300 dollars out of an ATM, or without going directly into the bank itself. But one thing is certain, that young guy he had get the money for him dodged a bullet. I’m fairly certain once he was all used up in his plan for getting all of the money…that kid also had a target on his back.

  7. I have a question: Were you friends, like real friends with Daniel W before the murders? Like you’ve been pals with him in the past when he was a regular? Or did you “become friends” with him AFTER the murders? If you were before, I can absolutely understand your reasoning for being friends with him, this person was someone you knew that had something else inside of them but murder and you already had this connection, this bond. If you “became friends” with him AFTER then I don’t get it & am skeptical of your position, skeptical of your motive behind all of this and do not feel people who friend people after murders can ever really be their true friend and know “the real them” or can genuinely know what’s real at all because you’ll have no baseline to compare, and will never know if he truly is lying or not on how he really feels or how he really is doing.

    There is something that pissed me off the most during all of this and its when Dan played innocent during those months/year in jail before the trial. Remember there were news clips of him reading a book- maybe it was the bible even- whatever he was doing you could tell he was playing a pure fictional version of himself and being very ingenuine. Then he spouted off about how he is now innocent of the charges or some crap. It made him more of a human to admit to the crimes (which he did) and then from there on suck it up buttercup and chill in his own guilt, accept the consequences and be real about it. I cannot stand when people admit their crime and then while waiting for trial they back pedal and try to say it was all false or untrue. I could actually see him being human if he did this heinous crime and zipped his lip and did every thing he could to purposely NOT piss the families of the victims off or further hurt them in any way. That only shows he is selfish and only out for himself in all of this and really could not be a person who committed a crime and sincerely regretted it right after and be sick with remorse. that is what a real person would do, but no since he admitted it, he went ahead and the played the game. Pretended to be this changed person reading the bible or whatever that was giving interviews of him being extremely insincere “they say I did this and that and that’s untrue” when uhhh HE is the one who said he did all that stuff. Then the cherry on top was him being all chipper and bouncing into the courtroom for trial while being escorted by a cop. Such fakery. So him doing all that screwed up any humanity I feel he would have left in him.
    I mean after he dismembered a body and then “lured” a innocent girl over to kill to cover his tracks kinda did that. So for me, its like lock em up throw away the keys. And I know you say he isn’t scared of death row and all that but thats B.S. not you B.S ing to us, but its him to you. There may be days where he will feel he has the hang of it or feel somewhat comfortable but shit can never be predictable in prison. And unpredicability in a house of murderous villians would frighten anyone. Except maybe psychopaths because they don’t feel fear like normals do.

  8. One thing that you never touched on much was the kind of person you knew Dan and Rachel were before the murders. You did mention Rachel was cold, and Dan was friendly, etc. But exactly how? What impressions did they give off to you? Did they show up to rehearsals on time, did they piss off cast/crew members, did they keep to themselves at parties? Did their families ever show up to performances? I know you don’t want to give away everything in your book, but Dan’s family is a huge, puzzling question mark. Who are they, and what was their reaction and attitude towards Dan before and after the sentencing? Thank you for giving us so much insight over the years. I’m a fan of true crime too, but find myself reading up on it sparingly because it’s difficult to stomach not to mention, depressing.

  9. Also- that that guy Dan and Rachel borrowed $2000 from- right after he left, he got a phone call from Rachel saying he dropped $20 and to come back for it. Did you ever ask Dan about it? Dan went on to kill Julie shortly after. It’s strongly implied that this guy was the original target. If it’s true, it sounds like Rachel was in on it from the beginning. Of course though, Rachel did get lied to a lot by Dan.

  10. What really bothers me about this case is, how incredibly stupid Wozniak actually is, and yet, he managed to concoct actually a pretty good double murder.

    That is truly troubling.

    Sam was the perfect fall guy. Army vet, with almost a criminal past (acquitted) and possibly PTSD, would make a very good candidate for killing a friend and going on the run.

    Killing a random girl that Wozniak didn’t even know to cover for Sam’s disappearance is also pretty good.

    BUT… what kind of a moron thinks that he could withdraw 50-60 thousand dollars from and ATM, $400 at a time? That’s 150 visits to the ATM!!!!!

    This part of the plan makes no sense.

    The Wozniak guy even knew about the camera enough to get an another idiot kid to go in his stead.. So if he wasn’t so blinded by greed, he would have called the plan off when he realized he couldn’t get the money. But no he WAS that dumb. THAT greedy, AND that callous about life.

    @Jade Gray: it is for the money… because if it wasn’t… he would not have withdrawn the cash. And he probably would have gotten away with it.

    However, it is worth noting that writing on Julie’s body could have given up the game had the investigators been thorough. Posing the girl’s too should have aroused suspicion. And it is likely all that extra work meant Wozniak left DNA evidence on the girl… (so no, it wasn’t a perfect murder.. but it could have been good enough)

  11. I hope you can get more information out there that can put Rachel in jail for long than 3 years. She’s obviously had a huge roll and they let her off easy.

      1. Lauren,

        I have been binge reading this blog for really only the last 3 days. I can’t quite figure you out. Obviously you are intelligent, and very specific as to how you word your posts. However, they still come across very condescendingly. I guess I am curious if you do not agree with what the writer has to say, why are you still reading and posting on a consistent basis? I would think you would have just tuned out and focused on something otherwise.
        Respectfully,
        Bob

  12. If you were really friends with that monster of a killer, why didn’t you lend a hand (or cash) during his times of need?

    Are you friends with him just because you can talk things over bottles of beer and hang out, etc?

    I guess you are still proud that your best friend killed a war veteran/hero and a lovely, innocent girl.

    1. Glen described how she became friends with Dan four years after he was in jail for murder. She said she was acquainted with him in theater. She got a brief moment on 20/20 because she had talked to the various media producers for so many years during the trial and she is the only person willing to say that she is still friends with Dan. There is no beer drinking in jail. Since Glen is writing a book that she says will let Dan tell his side of the story, she should not give Dan *any* money.

  13. You know what i find so left out, on the 20/20 they mentioned Julie had “all yours” written on her back. Then they never talk about why those exact words were written. Which leads me to believe something else was going on and not just about money and was not thoroughly planned and . Because if Dan’s plan was to frame Sam as he mentioned, why would Sam write “all yours fuck you” on her. I dont know maybe im over thinking this small detail.

  14. One more thing you should research for the book if possible- the $2000 loan was one of the most puzzling parts of this story. Chris Williams didn’t know these people, yet voluntarily loaned them $2000? I’d have a hard time loaning close friends or family such an amount let alone strangers. I can’t wrap my head around it. I can’t remember the exact details but didn’t Chris Williams overhear Daniel and Rachel having financial problems and offer them a loan? Who does that? Is it part of theater culture or something I’m missing?

    1. Isadora, you ask a good question about Chris that many people have asked. Way back then, Chris needed surgery and he didn’t have medical insurance. He is a jazz musician, well-loved by his friends and peers. He was very ill and his friends held a benefit concert to raise money for him. He raised so much money that he felt generous and in a “paying it forward” sort of way, he loaned Dan and Rachel money.

      Chris did not know Dan and Rachel very well but his friend worked in the same theater company where they worked and they were in Nine together. He trusted Dan and Rachel as he trusted his friends. Strangers were kind to him in the benefit concert, so he in turn was kind strangers he saw as friends of friends. What’s that adage? “A friend of my friend is a friend of mine”?

      Chris loaned the money on a Tuesday, if I remember the story right, to help Dan and Rachel avoid Wednesday’s eviction and he expected the money back on Thursday, I think. When it looked like he might not get paid back, he told Dan that he got the money from loan sharks and they were going to break his legs if the loan was not repaid. He told Dan, that since Chris gave the money to Dan, the loan sharks would break Dan’s legs, too.

      Friday, Chris called Dan and Dan freaked out over the phone. Chris went over to Dan and Rachel’s apartment and was met by Rachel. He told Rachel that he was there to calm Dan down and to let him know that he could wait until Monday to pay back the loan. Rachel told Chris to not tell Dan that because he will never be paid back if he gives Dan more time to pay. Then, Dan came to the apartment with Sam and was likely surprised to see Chris. After a few minutes, Dan left with Sam. Chris thought they were going to a bank or ATM in Long Beach and waited. Dan didn’t return for a few hours because he was killing Sam and getting Wesley to go an use the ATM for the $400 maximum he could get out of the ATM.

      When Dan got back, he gave Chris the $400 and Chris asked him if that was all the money they had? Dan said, yes, and Chris gave him a $20 bill so they could eat. As he was driving away, Chris saw he missed a phone call from Dan and called back. Rachel answered, she was upset, and she said that Chris dropped a $20 bill and he should come back and get it. Chris refused because he got a weird vibe from them when he was there. He told Rachel that he left that $20 with them so they could eat.

      Chris was able to get his necessary surgery and he is well now.

  15. I remember seeing this blog years ago. I feel compelled to offer some sincere constructive
    criticism.

    This blog just isn’t very interesting anymore, and it’s because you talk about yourself too much. With all due respect, what draws people to a blog like this is fascination with the disturbing case in question. I’m scrolling through the latest posts here and it’s all about you.

    I hope this isn’t what your book is going to be like (if it is a lot of people will stop reading after a few pages).

    1. Agreed. Too much talking about yourself. I don’t care about what YOU are going through in the jail or how many pee breaks you had to take. If you’re going to post, please talk about something worth reading.

  16. I agree while heartedly with the last two commenters.
    I read this blog to find out what this writer can glean about the circumstances of the case from speaking with the murderer.
    Talking about the food they ate and what she wore is a distraction from the
    horrific events that surround this case.

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